Rail anchor



c c. DINGER 3,338,520

RAIL ANCHOR 2 SheetsSheet 1 Aug. 29, 1967 Filed Aug. 16, 1965 INVENTOR C/MRL E5 6. O/A/GR BY V ATT'Y G v F M 3% E M wm/m w I G b p 5 El C. C. DINGER Aug. 29, 1967 RAIL ANCHOR 2 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Aug. 16, 1965 H 2 2 m rW/ n m W WW ATT'Y 3,338,520 RAIL ANCHOR Charles C. Dinger, 3808 Cornell Ave., Park City, Ill. 60085 Filed Aug. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 479,817 1 Claim. (Cl. 238-349) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A two-piece rail anchor including a base part for partial embedment in a, rail tie, and a hold-down part which exertsreaction thrust on the base part and the rail. The base part is of flat plate-like construction and has diverging legs for embedment in the tie, and a bridge section. The holddown part isin the form of a bowed spring strip which rests at its ends on the tie and rail flangeand has its medial region section of the base part.

The improved rail anchor comprising the present invention is designed for use primarily in connection With concrete railroad ties. The invention is, however, capable of other uses and rail anchors constructed according to the principles of the invention may, with or without modification and as required, be employed in connection with other railroad ties. Irrespective, however, of the particular use to which the invention may be put, the essential features thereof are at all times preserved.

In many sections of this country, wooden railroad ties are being replaced by concrete ties which, physically and functionally, offer many advantages over wooden ties, particularly in southern states where the destruction of wooden ties by termites and other insects is prevalent. The use of concrete ties is, however, not without limitations, one such limitation being the tendency for the ties to chip along the edges thereof where conventional rail anchors overhang or abut against the side faces of the ties. This, as well as such other limitations as are attendant upon the use of concrete ties, is largely the result of inadequate rail anchorage arising from ineffective rail anchor design. One such other limitation that is prevalent when conventional rail anchors are employed in connection with concrete ties resides in the inability of the rail anchors to prevent longitudinal creeping of the rails on the ties in a direction transversely of the latter under the influence of rolling stock passing along the rails. This latter limitation may be attributed, at least in part, to lack of'resiliency on the part of the concrete tie and the rail anchor so that any looseness or lack of holding or clamping tension which may develop after an initial installation will remain permanently in effect since there is no spring action or resiliency to take up such looseness. Lack of adequate effective'rail anchor width is also a factor which is conducive toward rail-creeping on the roadbed where a conventional rail anchor is. concerned.

'A further limitation which is relation with concrete ties where rigid anchors or holddown plates are centered or rest upon the upper faces of the ties, resides in a tendency for the underlying surfaces of the ties to become chipped, thus giving rise to the aforementioned looseness between the the-ties.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-noted limitations which are attendant uponthe construction and use of conventional rail anchors in connection with concrete railroad ties and, toward this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel rail anchor which, when operatively installed in associated relationship with a'track rail and on a concrete bearing upwardly against the bridge prevalent in connection withthe use of conventional rail anchors in associated rail anchors and tie, presents a relatively wide effective holding section, which is itself prestressed under yielding fiexion so that no lost motion will develop between either the associated rail anchor and the rail or between the rail anchor and the associated tie, which presents no overhanging portion on either side edge of the tie as well as no depending portion alongside the tie so that chipping of the side edges of the tie is avoided, and which although centered upon the upper face of the tie, makes provision in a novel manner for the avoidance of chipping of the tie despite the passage thereover of extremely heavy rolling stock.

The provision of a rail anchor of the character and possessing the advantages briefly outlined above being among the principal objects of the invention, it is a further and important object to provide a novel combination of concrete tie and rail anchor therefor wherein lateral forces generated by the rail are effectively distributed or assimilated within a portion of the rail anchor so that they are greatly reduced or dissipated before they are applied to the tie, thereby reducing internal stresses in the tie.

The provision of a rail anchor in which the component parts thereof may be constructed from readily obtainable inexpensive flat steel plate stock, thereby contributing to economy of manufacture; one which may be fashioned by a simple stamping and shearing operation according to one form of the invention, and by an additional bending operation according to another form of the invention, thereby further contributing to low cost; one which lends itself to gang installation of ties by conventional methods, as well as to individual placement of ties; and

one which, otherwise, is well adapted to perform the services required of it, are further desirable features which have been borne in mind in the production and development of the present invention.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, two illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through a prestressed concrete railroad tie and transversely through a rail supported thereon, and showing a pair of coacting rail anchors embodying the present invention operatively installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the rail and the free parts of the two rail anchors removed, and also showing a slightly modified form of concrete tie;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the concrete-embedded part of one of the rail anchors of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the free parts of one of the rail anchors of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6'is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG.

6 but showing the rail and the free parts 'of the rail anchors removed; v

FIG. 8 is a front view of the concrete-embedded part of one of the rail anchors of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 9'-9 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the free part of one of the rail anchors of FIG. 6.

Referring now to thedrawings in detail and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, wherein one form of the. improved rail is illustrated, the rail anchor is comprised of two principal parts, namely, a reaction part 10 and a free rail hold-down part 12. The reaction part 10 is adapted to be partially embedded in a prestressed concrete or other railroad tie, such, for example, as the tie 14 of FIG. 1 or the tie 16 of FIG. 2 in a manner that will be set forth presently, while the free part 12 is designed for cooperation with the embedded part 10 in maintaining a conventional or standard railroad rail 18 in position on the tie, likewise in a manner that will be set forth subsequently. As shown in FIG. 1, there are two coacting composite two-part rail anchors and they are designed or adapted to straddle the rail 18 as is customary in connection with most rail anchoring devices.

The reaction or embedded part 10 of each of the two coacting anchors of FIG. 1, when in its free state, is in the form of a unitary or one-piece stamping which is formed from heavy gauge steel plate stock. It is generally of inverted U-shape design and consists of a pair of vertical, spaced apart side legs 20 and an integral connecting bight or bridge portion 22, at the upper end of the side legs. As best shown in FIG. 3, the part 10 is fashioned along rectangular lines and the lower or distal ends of each side of leg 20 is formed with a laterally turned foot portion 24. A longitudinally extending rectangular slot 26 is provided substantially centrally in the bridge portion 22 of the reaction part 10.

The free part 12 of each rail anchor (see FIG. is in the form of a curved strip of spring steel stock which is of a width slightly less than the length of the slot 26 and embodies a fiat extension at the inner end thereof.

The concrete-embedded reaction part of each rail anchor of FIG. 1 is adapted, along with similar parts, to be anchored in a concrete tie 14 at the time the tie is initially formed by a concrete pouring operation in the usual manner of concrete tie construction. Two pairs of the reaction parts are partially embedded in each tie, one pair for each rail, with the parts of each pair being spaced longitudinally of the tie at appropriate regions for cooperation with the associated free parts 12 when the latter are applied to the associated rail. Only one pair of concreteembedded reaction parts 10 adjacent to one end of the tie is shown in the fragmentary illustration of FIGS. 1 and 2 but it will be understood that a second installation of parts 10 will be made adjacent to the opposite or other end of the tie 14. The embedment of each part 10 is made so that the foot portions 24 are fully embedded deep in the concrete of the tie while the bridge portion 22 is spaced above and overlies the upper surface of the tie 14 to such an extent that the slot 26 therein is at a level slightly above the rail base 30, that is, slightly above the lower edge of the adjacent downwardly and outwardly sloping top face of such rail base. Stated otherwise, the slot 26 is disposed at a level above the tie 14 wherein the horizontal plane thereof substantially intersects the upper inner edge of its adjacent sloping face of the rail base 30. The distance between the opposed reaction parts 10 of each pair of coacting rail anchors is slightly greater than the over-all width of the rail base 30 so that the rail base will fit fairly snugly between the two upwardly projecting portions of said two reaction parts. The embedment of the two concrete-embedded parts 10 is preferably made in such manner that the foot portions 24 of the two parts face outwardly away from each other as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the installation of the rail 18 between the two opposed reaction parts 10, a rail liner or pad 36 of suitable plastic or other material and with upstanding side flanges 38 is first positioned on the tie 14 between the exposed portions of the reaction parts 10 and the rail 18' is seated within the shallow upwardly facing channel that is afforded by said side flanges 38. The pad 36 serves as a cushion for sound-deadening purposes and is preferably made of such plastic material that it is not only slightly resilient but also liquid resilient. The seated rail is secured in position by the simple expedient of passing the flat inner extension of each of the two hold-down parts 12 endwise and then completely through the slot 26 in the associated reaction part on an angular bias and then sliding the holddown part inwards toward the rail web 34 by raising the arcuate portion thereof and sliding the same inwardly over the tie. During such movement, the flat inner extension of the part 12 slides or rides upwardly on the adjacent inclined face of the rail base 30 and the part 12 as a whole is stressed in fiexion. Application of the part 12 in this manner is facilitated by the use of a special hydraulic or mechanical application tool by means of which the outer end portion of the part 12 is elevated from its dotted line position to its full line position as shown in FIG. 1. When the flat inner extension of the part 12 has moved upwardly on the adjacent inclined face of the rail base 30' so that it assumes a position in close proximity to the rail web 34, the outer end portion of the part 12 is released by the tool and it snaps into position, so to speak, against the upper face of the tie 16 as shown in full lines. The part 12 is thus maintained under a high degree of fiexion and the adjacent side or flange of the rail base 30 is yieldingly pressed downwardly in the shallow channel which is afforded by the rail liner or pad 36.

Rail anchors according to the principles of the present invention and as described above are well adapted for use in connection with gang installation of prestressed concrete railroad ties, such gang installation being commonly referred to as the panel method of installation. By such a method, elongated sections of rail are assembled upon a group of from twelve to fifteen laterally spaced, prestressed concrete ties and, thereafter, the thus assembled panel is transported in a gondola car to the scene of roadbed operations where it is unloaded onto the roadbed by a crawler-type crane or the like. Under certain circumstances, however, the rail anchors may be individually installed in the field. In either event, in the initial construction of the concrete tie 14, the concrete form for the tie is so constructed that the completed tie will include the partially embedded parts 10 of the associated rail anchors.

In the form of tie shown in FIG. 1, the relatively sharp lower corner edge of the outer end of the free rail holddown part 12 is relied upon to prevent outward slipping of the part on the top surface of the concrete tie after rail anchor installation has been made. Furthermore, since the part 12 is maintained under fiexion by its line contact with the upper edge of the slot 26, in the associated reaction part 10, and at a region which is substantially medially disposed between the ends of the part 12, there is little tendency for such slippage, even when side thrust is applied by the rail under passage of heavy rolling stock therealong. Additionally, the tendency for creeping of a rail longitudinally along the roadbed is minimized due to the fact that there is no looseness in the involved structure.

In FIG. 2 there is illustrated a tie 16 in which two shallow grooves or troughs 40 are formed in the upper or top surface of the same on opposite sides of each region of rail placement, the grooves extending transversely of the tie and being of a length slightly greater than the transverse width of the part 12. These two grooves afford a seat for the adjacent outer. end edges of the two parts 12 when installation thereof has been effected. Otherwise, the tie 16 remains substantially the same as the tie 14.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, inclusive, the same principle of operation is involved as in the case of the previously described form of the invention, but the shape of the embedded part is somewhat different. Due to a general similarity of construction between the two forms of the invention, similar reference numerals but of a higher order have been applied to the corresponding parts as between the disclosures of FIGS. 1 to 5, inclusive, and FIGS. 6 to 10, inclusive.

Insofar as the concrete-embedded part 110 is concerned, the side legs are downwardly divergent While the bight or bridge portion 122 remains substantially the same as the bridge portion 22 of the part 10.The foot portions 124 are so disposed that they project inwardly to a d each. o her and they lie in e g eral pla f h part 110. Construction of the part 110 may be effected by a single stamping operation involving no metal bending as is the case in the construction of the part 10.

Insofar as the free part 112 is concerned, this part is identical to the part 12. Installation of the rail anchor embodying the two parts 110 and 112 may be made in a manner similar to installation of the rail anchor embodying the two parts and 12 and, therefore, a detailed description of such installation is deemed unnecessary. As is the case in connection with the previously described form of rail anchor, the rail anchor of FIGS. 6 to 10, inclusive, may be employed in connection with ties of either the type shown in FIG. 1 or of the type shown in FIG. 2.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in the accompanying claim is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A two-part rail anchor adapted for use in connection with a concrete railroad tie in maintaining a rail seated on the upper surface of said tie, said rail having a rail base with outwardly and downwardly inclined lateral faces, said anchor comprising a reaction part in the form of a gen erally flat U-shaped plate-like member having spaced apart side legs and an interconnecting bridge portion provided with a rectangular opening therethrough, the lower end of each side leg being provided with a laterally turned flange which extends out of the general plane of the platelike member, said side legs being adapted for partial embedment in the concrete of the tie with their upper end regions projecting upwardly above the tie and with the bridge portion overlying the upper surface of the tie in close proximity to and alongside the rail, and a hold-down part in the form of an elongated strip of spring steel of arcuate configuration in longitudinal cross section and having one end region thereof flattened, said hold-down part being designed for forcible projection through said rectangular opening in the reaction part under flexion and so that the outer end of the flattened portion bears downwardly upon the adjacent inclined lateral face of the rail base the other end of the hold-down part bears downwardly upon the upper surface of the tie, with the medial region of the hold-down portion bearing upwardly against the upper edge of the rectangular opening and serving to maintain the hold-down part under flexion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,385,032 9/1945 Scholes 238-349 2,528,205 10/1950 Benevento 52-698 2,780,936 2/1957 Hillberg 52-699 2,898,758 8/1959 Henrickson 52699 2,947,119 8/ 1960 Puckett 52-699 FOREIGN PATENTS 968,128 8/ 1965 Great Britain.

22,330 6/ 1912 Norway.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. R. A. BERTSC-H, Assistant Examiner. 

